a few years ago i had a 85 Grand Wagoneer and i needed two new rear tires for it so i bought 2 bfg all terrains and had them siped....Wow that thing really slinged the mud.....not sure if it was just because i had become accustom to thin treaded tires or what. siping really opens the tread up....quiets road noise down a lot too. I would consider siping again. oh yeah, the tire shop did it for me

my 38" Swampers are siped by a machine at America's Tires. Swampers are alittle loud with road noise and it cut down clost to 60 % of the singing. They also run cooler and last longer. the tread on these are barely worn and I was driving this beast as a daily driver 100 miles a day round trip on the freeway. My 36" Swampers didnt even last half as long and they were not siped. They also do a great job in the rain.

BK is right on, the siping make the wet weather traction (specifically braking) much better. Lots of the tire stores in the Portland area offer this service. And when you are a webfoot (Oregonian), you know ALL about rain...........much like Zonies know about Dry Heat! LOL

ok, i figure that siping is the proccess of removal by cutting of the tread.
is this done in a certain pattern? are you just making the contact part smaller, and the grooves bigger?
can i sipe my mom's 13" whitewalls, and throw 'em on the beast and rip up rubicon?
should i do this where it can't be noticed (sipe unseen?)

The only negstives I have heard about siping are that the treads may have a tendancy to chunk away easier (smaller tread blocks rip off easier)and in alot of cases, it may void the warranty unless you get the shop who sold the tires to you sipe them and agree to warrant them anyway.
Other than that, ice and wet weather driving in addition to tread life are supposed to be greatly improved like the others have said.

I've got 33x12.5's and thier siped i've gotten it on all my tires since i found about about it. Makes tires run cooler and more quiet. I like it. Improves traction on wet roads alot. About chunkes riping out, a few chucks have riped out but only about 10 in total for all of my tires. very small chucks. However i wouldn't recommed if you do alot serious 4 wheelin'. I could see in this case loseing alot of chunks. But other than that go for it!!
Chris
'79 K5

When correctly done, siping only makes a thin cut in the tread. Little to no actual tread material should be removed. As it was explained to me by a BFGoodrich Aerospace tire engineer, the sipes increase the tread's ability to flex and conform to surfaces, therefore creating more traction (most situations), better handling, and less heat buildup in the tire carcass. This is much different than grooving, which physically removes portions of rubber to modify or re-create a tread pattern. Grooving immediately makes the tire illegal for the street. But, how many cops will know your tires aren't what they used to be??

That's my 2 cents...

With all these pennies I'm throwing around, I could probably buy that new motor!!

You can elimanate most of the chumking by simply sipping the center tread area, avoid doing the outer lugs. Its really kinda neat, makes one wonder why the Manf. don't do it automatically to all their tires..HMMMMMMMMM lasts longer, works better...means less tires purchased...yeah thats the reason...WK

White Knight is right about the siping. When rock crawlin with tires like swampers the center lugs are too big to flex around rocky surfaces. Siping alows those big center lugs to conform to the rocks. My 36" Swampers are siped in the middle and I wouldn't have it any other way. Siping the outside lugs will make the tread tear off though.

OK, so i can take a razor blade, slice the middle third of my tread lugs laterally across the face?
(the lugs in the middle of the tire, not the middle third of every lug)
badda-bing, badda-boom; increased traction, mileage, and longevity?
or is there a bit more science to it?
how deep? to the wear indicator?

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